St. Teresa of Avila

 Catholic Community

THE OFFICE IS CLOSED BUT WE WILL BE ANSWERING THE PHONES FROM 9 AM - 5 PM MONDAY - FRIDAY.   WE WILL ALSO BE PICKING UP THE MAIL WEEKLY FROM THE POST OFFICE.

THE CHURCH IS CLOSED FOR INDIVIDUAL PRAYER, RECONCILIATION OR ANY OTHER GATHERINGS.

 ADORATION IN THE MAIN WORSHIP AREA WILL BE ON THURSDAYS BEGINNING AFTER THE 8 AM MASS UNTIL 1 PM.  OUR COVID 19 PROTOCALS WILL APPLY.  

THE BAPTISM CLASS FOR JUNE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

IF YOU HAVE A NAME THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE IN OUR MASS INTENTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL THE CHURCH AT: stteresa@stteresaofavila.net
AND PUT UNDER THE TOPIC: MASS INTENTION.  Thanks.

Click to Listen and Watch Past Masses

Please use your Smart Phone to sign up for My Parish App.  Go to your Play Store or app store on the I Phone or Android and download myparishapp.  Install.  Look for St. Teresa of Avila in Carson City and you are set!  Notices of up coming events will be sent to you as well as the bulletin which is uploaded to the app every Friday evening! 

TEACHING POSITION:

St. Teresa School is looking for a junior high math teacher. Please call Peggy
at 775-882-2079  st 101 or email,  pburger@stts.org, for more information.  Retired teachers welcome!!

  St. Teresa of Avila Catholic School
Now enrolling for Grades Preschool-8th Grades
Please contact the school for more information.
775-882-2079 or access our web site by clicking the school link above.

Facebook Message from Bishop Calvo

ALL parishioners of St. Teresa of Avila: 
Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) we are asking all parishioners to respect one another by following the rules that are set in place for the well-being of all. We at St. Teresa’s are very concerned for the community and take this seriously.
St. Teresa’s Church hours have changed to the following:
                The Church will be closed for individual prayer, reconciliation any other gatherings. 
                The office will be closed but we will be checking our messages and picking up our mail.  If you need assistance, please call the church at 882-1968

This is a sad and hard time for all people.  As you know I am a firm believer in community joining and praying for the world. I ask that all will continue to pray and remember you do not have to be in a church for God to hear the prayers.  Each one of you are important to God, the Church and our community.
Stay home and pray, God is listening. Remember God is in control so please listen to Him. Help your neighbor if they need assistance. Maybe everything that is happening is God’s way of getting our attention to love one another.
 

CDC Guidelines (Word doc download)

We will be starting a prayer group on ZOOM beginning August 11th.  If you are interested in joining, please send your email address to glasspst.ts@gmail.com.  We will contact you after we receive your email and let  you know the particulars.     
                                                       

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/07/21/covid-mask-wear-pro-life-catholic-james-martin

DIOCESE OF RENO
Resuming Public Masses in the Diocese of Reno
in the Time of the COVID 19 Pandemic
Starting on the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, June 7, 2020, parishes in the Diocese of Reno may resume public Masses provided they are ready to proceed with the necessary safety provisions. Under the State of Nevada’s Phase Two, houses of worship are limited to gatherings of no more than 50 people.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “Life and physical health are precious gifts entrusted to us by God. We must take reasonable care of them, taking into consideration the needs of others and the common good” (CCC 2288). This moral teaching has guided and will continue to guide our safety protocols during the novel Coronavirus pandemic, especially since there is currently no vaccine or proven treatment. Providing a safe environment is paramount as we gather together to worship God, the author of life and source of all goodness.
The protocols for safety follow guidelines and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, the State of Nevada, the resources provided by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic liturgical and medical experts, and the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments.
Respect Life
We are called to respect life from the moment of conception to natural death. It is nothing less than a moral obligation for each of us to be considerate of one another’s health and safety when we come to church. All are asked to follow the protocols for safety in the spirit of justice and charity: in justice, for we owe it to each other as brothers and sisters to care about one another’s life; in charity, for we follow the Golden Rule which Jesus preached in his Sermon on the Mount, “Do unto others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets” (Matthew 7:12).
Some may object or disagree with a given protocol, but all are asked to abide with them. The peace that marks the sanctuary for worship is neither the time nor the place for arguments or confrontation. For the sake of all, some may be called to put aside personal opinion or sacrifice convenience. Let us all take to heart St. Paul’s admonition: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience…And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace unto which you were also called in one body” (Col. 3:12; 15).
Vulnerable Persons
While anyone of any age can come down with COVID 19, there are those of us who have a higher risk of severe illness if infected. The Centers for Disease Control lists as vulnerable persons people 65 years and older and people of any age with underlying
health issues: asthma, chronic lung disease, chronic kidney disease being treated with dialysis, diabetes, compromised immunity, liver disease, severe heart conditions, and severe obesity. The federal guidelines “Opening Up America Again” advise vulnerable individuals to stay at home during the initial phases of reopening.
A large number of parishioners fall in this category. Some who are 65 years and older may feel healthy enough to shop for groceries or even resume work. We ask them to consult with their health care providers and assess the level of risk if they should choose to come to church. We care about people defined as “vulnerable” but also want to minimize the health risks for them. We also expect individuals to take responsibility for their health.
Some priests, deacons, Eucharistic ministers, and greeters are in the category of vulnerable persons. They are all asked to consult with their health care providers if they are to assume liturgical ministry and under what conditions this would be safe for them. There will be necessary adjustments that all are asked to respect.
Parishes should consider having special liturgies only for vulnerable people of limited duration and with an overabundance of social distancing.
Dispensation from the Obligation of Sunday Mass
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the bishop has granted a dispensation from the obligation of Sunday Mass in the Diocese of Reno to anyone who should not attend Mass for health reasons or who do not feel safe in coming to church. This dispensation continues until further notice.
Parishes are encouraged to continue livestreaming Masses for those who are not able to attend in person.
What Will Be Prepared for You When You Come to Church
The church will be cleaned and surface areas and door knobs/handles will be sanitized. There will be hand sanitizing dispensers as you enter and seating will be arranged for social distancing. Social distancing is defined as a minimum of 6 ft. of physical separation front and back and sides.
What We Ask You to Do When You Come
1. If you are feeling sick, have a fever, are coughing or sneezing, please stay at home.
2. Please exercise personal hygiene and use the available hand sanitizer.
3. Please, please wear a facial mask. Do it for your neighbor. Wear a mask out of respect for the sanctity of each other’s God-given life. Let it be your offering as you partake of the fruits of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. Justice done for
one’s neighbor is a pleasing offering to God as the prophets proclaimed. Children two years and younger should not wear a mask.
4. Please leave your name and contact information. Some parishes will ask you to call or email your church your intention to attend a certain Mass or you can bring in this information and drop it in a box or other receptacle at the church’s entrance. Contact tracing is a vital part of containing the spread of Covid 19. Churches that have this information make it readily available for health authorities to do the necessary contact tracing. In churches that do not have this information, news media will have to inform the public and parishes will need to figure out who attended a Mass where there has been exposure to the Coronavirus.
5. Observe social distancing. Seating in the church will be marked for this purpose. Families and couples can sit together but others apart.
6. There will be no handshakes, holding hands, hugs or other forms of physical contact unless people are members of the same household. For the kiss of peace, please greet each other in an appropriate non-contact way.
7. For communion, please follow directions for social distancing. To safeguard against any potential transmission of the virus, communion will only be given in the hand. Communion will not be administered on the tongue because of the health risk involved. One may claim a right to receive communion on the tongue, but this is not an absolute right; the right to life supersedes it. The right to life is a natural right; the right to receive on the tongue is a right given by the church. An essential disposition for reception of communion is reverence and the practice of communion in the hand extends back to the earliest days of the Church and understood as no less reverent. The disposition of one’s mind and heart determines reverence in reception.
 

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
So! Do you want to make God laugh? Tell Him your plans. I remember speaking with the Lord of my excitement having been appointed Pastor of St. Teresa of Avila. I set a plan to come to familiarize myself with the parish, its congregation, its hopes and its dreams. My intention was to build on the work of my predecessor, Fr. Chuck Durante and Vicar General and also the legendary figure of St. Teresa, Fr. Jerry Hanley! The early days were a beautiful wonder; meeting the good people of the parish. I told Our Lord that, because of all of you, this was going to be a fairly easy assignment. I even thanked Him for my appointment to be your pastor. I was looking forward with joy to the tasks at hand. Then God said. “Nope, Thomas. I am going to interrupt you in a way that you could never imagine. Not just you Thomas, but much most of the world. I want to see if a virulent virus will get my people’s attention”. Halfway all around the world, people started getting sick, towns were being ravaged. The disease spread from continent to continent. Death was all around. It came to North America, and we started seeing makeshift hospitals, shortages of goods and services, food, even toilet paper. Older folks, middle aged folks - even little children were affected. Covid 19 came in biblical numbers—huge proportions. We were and are still unable to know whether we are safe. Orders came from our beloved Bishop Calvo, from our State and Federal governments. CLOSE DOWN! Do it now, stay at home. Sadly, the order included all places of worship. I was horrified, no Holy Mass, no visitation in front of Our Blessed Sacrament, no this, no that, no to liturgy and faithful coming to church. It was as if the Father was saying “I am tired of these a faithless people” The good will suffer so that your hearts will, once again, turn to me.” At first my patron saint, Thomas, did not believe. When he came to believe, all he could do was fall to his knees and utter “My Lord and my God”. For days - even weeks that was all I could do. I kept whispering my Lord and my God. One evening I was kneeling before the crucifix and realized those words were no longer sufficient. The reality of complete vulnerability forced me to accept the fragility of my life. It was as if Jesus was telling me to stop wallowing in the problem and begin leading, healing and offering hope. This was not definitely the end, but a chance, an opportunity to minister. I came face to face with the meaning of “Living by HIS GRACE ALONE.. As a Church and One Community we need to reflect on that which should be our response to this crisis. How can my faith help me respond, survive, understand and, as a pastor, lead? I have been blessed with the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Orders; the imposition of the hands and the grace of the Holy Spirit. The reality of complete vulnerability forced me to accept the fragility of my life. I then understood that am in the ‘at risk’ category. Accepting this is was difficult for me. I genuinely miss celebrating Sacraments with all of you. So many empty seats, so many of us worrying, fretting and looking for comfort. I looked for comfort. It took me a long time to find a measure of comfort - hope. I offer you what comforts me. Jesus, himself reminds us “My Grace shall be sufficient”. My mother often reminded me that I needed to pray as if everything depends on God, but that I needed to work as if everything thing depended on me. Crisis is part of the human condition. We’d better get used to it. Here are some suggestions for the future.

1. Deepen our spiritual and prayer life. Make it a personal experience. Sit in a quiet place. Take a deep breath, then another and again one more. Then put yourself in the presence of Our Lord. Listen, don’t speak. You will hear His voice. Say hello! Tell Him that for which you are appreciative. Say a Glory Be.
2.  We need Front line pastors, ministers and lay people who can help in the case of emergencies. Do your part. Call someone and be present to them. Speak to them fearlessly. Ask them to lead you, praying the Prayer “Our Father.”
3. Take care of your co-workers - try to hang on to your employees, speak to them about the realities of your ability to keep paying them. Surprises can be very hurtful. Protect them with the truth, not from it.
4.  I hate to say it, but become familiar with digital media. For a parent to see a child’s face in a Zoom meeting, or digitally seeing someone who can’t get out, or a simple email telling someone they are Missed and that they are loved - priceless.
5.  Revenue throughout so many parishes is down. Yet, ministry must go on. If you can, remember to thank God for your ability to offer financial assistance.

Christ’s work is helped with your generosity. Faith is reshaped in times of crisis. We emerge from a crisis slowly, methodically and carefully. This is difficult because we want traditional concepts and rituals that go with our Catholic traditions. While livestreaming Mass is just about all we can do right now, virtual presence is neither ideal nor real. Yet, virtual is virtuous and reminds us of that which we are missing, the Sacramental presence and comfort of receiving the body and blood of our Savior. Take heart! The mission of the Church remains unchanged. Never forget Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow; His message, and His words and His love and His forgiveness are everlasting. In his Easter reflection, the Pope concludes his admonition saying that society might find “the necessary antibodies of justice, charity and solidarity. Let us not be afraid to live the alternative civilization of love. We must, beginning today, take advantage of a God-given opportunity. We must, in the Spirit of Advent and the promise of Pentecost, open a new chapter of St. Teresa. We must, each one of us, pray, come to Holy Mass as the schedule allows and with utmost humility and honesty ask for forgiveness of our sins. We must pray for the fallen. Pray in thanksgiving for our first responders. Pray in thanksgiving that we will be stronger because in this time of crisis we turned to the Father who gave us life, to the Son who died so that we could be reconciled and to the Spirit, our everlasting hope in the Resurrection and life in a world to come without end.
Blessings to you, Fr. Tom

We would like to thank you from the bottoms of our hearts!    We have been getting weekly and monthly donations that have helped us to “keep the lights on” as they say.  We know that during these tough times, our Church may not be the first or last thing you think of when deciding what to do with your money each month. We truly appreciate what you have been able to do for us.  The staff at St. Teresa’s are still working, though you may not see us regularly, except on the internet with our Masses.  We continue to maintain our building and get it ready so that hopefully soon we will all be able to worship together in our beautiful church.  We are also continuing to work in our various ministries, however in a different way.  These are truly unprecedented times!
We wanted to let you know that there are several ways you can support us financially, if you are able.

1. You can mail your envelope or check to the church:  St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community 3000 N. Lompa Lane Carson City, NV 89706.
2. You can go to our website:  www.stteresaofavila.net and click on the On Line Giving button. It will direct you on how to send in a one-time or recurring donation.
3. You can go to the Virtual Parish Offering Plate found on the Diocese of Reno’s website:  www.renodiocese.org.  Then scroll down to Support Ministry Today and click on that. Then you will find a picture that says;

“Ways to Give to keep the Light Shining”.It will guide you to giving to our Parish.
 
As always we are continuing to keep you in our prayers and look forward to the time when we can be together to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.
God Bless,
Fr. Tom, Fr. Eduardo and The Staff of St. Teresa’s Catholic Community

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